Harindra Singh, CEO, Sunburn and chairman & MD of Percept, India, talks to Sangeeta Yadav why the festival shifted to Pune and how it has now become a lifestyle brand
What was the reason to shift Sunburn from Goa to PuneIJ
Goa and Sunburn are synonymous — the fest was the birthplace of the city. But there were too many issues with the infrastructure. last year, our main performer David Guetta couldn’t make it to the venue on time. We put him on the bike, travelled through the villages only to reach four hours late! For him it was touch and go. The fans complained. This year, they have elections in February and that could have been a problem for getting permission. We couldn’t take the risk. Also, the construction of the new bridge at Mandovi could have been a roadblock. Thus, no Goa this time.
How did you zero in on Kesnand Hills, PuneIJ
We looked at Delhi-NCR and Hyderabad. But it was in Maharashtra that got us a plenty of beautiful options. We were looking for a place which could be a nature’s retreat and take the fans away from the urban chaos. At the same time, we wanted infrastructure, roads, airport, trains, hotel rooms, food and lodging, medical facilities, etc. It was a difficult combination but I was lucky to find Kesnand Hills.
Some locals protested.
Some individuals and organisations made it an issue. The complaints were absolutely baseless and unrealistic. They said that the festival is against our culture as a lot of illegal activities happen. Some people got influenced by them. Our focus was to successfully put this festival together. If somebody keeps insisting that you are wrong without giving you a valid reason then that is an endless debate. Fortunately for us the administration and the Government believed in us and that’s why the festival happened. Our fans love us and that’s why we got thousands of people climb up the mountain those four days. With each passing day, we got better and better.
Was it a tough battleIJ
I believe truth always wins. My approach to life has been that you face obstacles and do your best. You stay on course and believe in yourself. That’s what we did. Five days before the festival, if you would have asked anybody on the street if the festival will take place, they would have said ‘no’. But it happened and was a success too.
Did the festival make a difference to the localsIJ
People in Pune didn’t know Kesnand a few months back. Now, the whole world knows it. When I came here for the first time a couple of months ago, there was not even a tea stall on the road. Right now the whole street is buzzing with roadside dhabas. The locals who were making noise made money.
Every person comes to the festival gives Rs2,000 to enter. A part of it goes to the Government as tax. We use the rest to pay the artists. But then this person stays in a hotel, spends money to eat and for transportation. I get maybe 20 per cent of the total money he spent in four days; 80 per cent goes to the locals and the Government. If this is not tourism promotion what isIJ
On day one, many couldn’t make it to the hill due to bad traffic scene...
The process was, you book a ticket, come to the box office, verify the booking reference and get a band and entertainment tax paid ticket. Due to delays, we made an exception. As long as people had validation of the ticket booked, we kept a count. So people made it up to the hill directly and those who couldn’t we allowed them entry the next day.
You invested Rs110 crore this time.
We have lost a lot of money but we don’t consider it as a loss but an investment. Our focus is to build an awesome asset which continues to grow. It will become bigger and better. We are one of the biggest festival brands in the world and the target is to be on No.1. We are extending the brand with multiple formats. The fest has become a lifestyle brand today.